Bloody darn good luck
by pyro-rocketeer
Summary: "Why are you so jumpy?" Kaneki asked him. Hide blinked. He was wringing the shoulder of his bag-pack. No he wasn't. Kaneki was just delusional. Hide-centric. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing.**

A/N: I can't find a summary

Semi-AU?

Not a rize/hide, not a ghoul!hide – not even a romance.

But rather a TG fic starring Hide? Let's go with that.

I had this fic written out, I'm just fleshing it out and editing the icky chunks.

Rated for blood, gore and mild horror.

* * *

His early childhood memories consisted of scraped elbows, sand in his shoes and lots of boisterous swinging. One such memory stuck out to him like a sore thumb.

It was evening, the blood-red warmth of the sun bathed the playground ominously. Sunset meant home. Most people were getting ready to go home. Other children were picking up their buckets and spades. He was going to pick up his blue bucket as well before noticing the now vacant swing.

And dropping the light blue plastic bucket, he scampered toward the swing-set.

"Move aside, carrot-top!" And he was shoved aside by one of his older cousins.

And he hit the sand, attempting to catch himself on all fours. The grains of sand rubbed against his baby-soft hands. But the young boy's knee wasn't so lucky as it scraped against the edge of the play-ground sand box. There was a sharp stab of pain.

"I'm _dying!_ Help!"

Hide Nagachika held up his scraped knee and bellowed like an agonized dog.

It was hardly a scrape actually, a graze. But there was a rude, red abrasion.

He had _itty_ bitty tears squeezing themselves out from the edges of his eyes. Mostly because he didn't get to play on the sings. Perhaps it really really _really_ hurt. Or perhaps he wanted his big fat cousin to get gobsmacked by an adult for his terrible 'wound' – or perhaps he was just trying to elicit some attention to his plight.

And he did.

There was a chuckle.

"Are you dying?"

He looked up at her. She was a young girl about his age – with magenta – v _ery_ bright, very gaudy hair-color. It contrasted with the reddish hues set by the evening sun.

She adjusted the straps of her bag and smiled at him, "Have no fear! I've got a magic band-aid!"

He watched in awe as she pulled out her bag-pack and rummaged through it.

"Um...I'm pretty sure I have one!"

She let out a sound of triumph as she held it above her head and dropped her bag-pack. The girl affixed a purple band aid upon his knee. She was _so_ pretty.

"All better now?"

He looked down at his knee. The oddly stuck-on band aid was the same color of her hair.

That's when he remembered his manners, "T-thank you!"

In retrospect, it would have been polite to apologize to her for the trouble. But instead he settled for –

"Uhm…what is your name?"

She snuck him a smile, a sincere one. The one that gave him a warm funny feeling in his tummy. The kind he got after drinking warm milk.

"Rize Kamishiro."

* * *

"It's love!"

In grade seven – everything was about the 'Super-duper ninja megazords' and sudden emergence of this new creature called girls. They smelled nice, wore pleated skirts a wee bit high for the school regulations, and mostly avoided him.

"Ami-chan! Not too loud!" She brought a finger to her lips, hissing at her friends. They burst into conspiratory giggles.

He glanced over to the group who surrounded a single girl who had just spoken. She had a long hair, long brown hair and a shapely face. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment. Hide didn't know the girl too well.

She looked in his direction.

Startled, he averted his eyes – trying to find the one person he could bug today.

"Ka~neki!" He slid into the seat beside the book-worm, "Whatcha reading? Ooh that looks complicated."

He received a withering stare.

"Hmmmhmmm….very interesting – such big words Kaneki, no wonder you do so well in English!"

"You would do well too, Hide – if you actually bothered to study."

"I tried my hardest, man! Honestly! The teacher just _really_ hates me!" He began, sliding an arm over Kaneki's shoulder and exhaling with dramatic weariness, "I think I might become a rapper like Double M, you know? _Kacha-kacha – pow_! Yo yo yo!"

And to demonstrate, Hide began to spit, holding his palm over a mock headphone and the other one above Kaneki's books – as if it was a screeching record. Kaneki snorted.

"I thought you wanted to become a teacher? I thought you were _so_ inspired by Ogata-sensei."

That was two days ago. Kaneki really needed to catch up on things.

"There you go again, saying incomprehensible things…you really need to get with the times, Kan-eki!" He reached for the boy's untouched sandwich and bit into it.

"This is awful."

He sent the boy a questioning look.

"Yeah..." Kaneki said quietly. He averted his gaze, as if he found the walls more interesting. And then he let out an awkward burst of laughter, "Soo did you watch Mecha-ninjas yesterday?"

He didn't even like Mecha-ninjas.

Hide didn't know very much about his home-life because the latter never talked about it. He did know that the boy's mother died when they were in elementary school – and that he was living with a few relatives.

It was the little things with Kaneki.

Like for example, he didn't bring lunch to school on some days with some _equally_ lacklustre excuse like – "Ahaha…I forgot?"

Or perhaps he brought sandwiches that tasted like paper, just like today.

"Hey…Kaneki," He murmured, "Have you been eating properly?"

"Um... excuse me, Nagachika-san."

That's when they both heard a rather loud and nervous interruption. Kaneki and Hide both turned around to look at the girl. It was the girl that he had been looking at earlier. Hide didn't remember her name – was it Eri?

"Hoooo? You've been wanting to confess to this gloomy brat?" He asked, standing up and the boy up with him, "Please don't mind me!"

A very bewildered Kaneki was pushed into her general direction. And he crashed into several desks and fell to the ground. To complete the fiasco, one of her friends on the _other_ end of the classroom, stood up.

"Idiot Nagachika!" She yelped, "She wants to talk to _you._ "

And that's how the entire class' attention was placed on Hide and the poor girl. Someone sniggered heartily beside them and another made kissy noises.

"Oooh! It's a confession!"

"Ehehe…" Hide scratched the back of his head looking sheepish. He reached forward for the spilled pencil case and placing it on the wrong desk, "Sorry sorry!"

Kaneki sighed as he attempted to stand up, straightening out the desks and picking up the scattered school utensils.

"I'm so sorry, my friend's _such_ an idiot." Kaneki rolled his eyes. She smiled at them and helped them pick up the fallen articles. Their hands _brushed_ over the same book. They both drew back.

She split her very pink lips into a chuckle and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

* * *

"Nagachika-san is very lively!"

The girl who he found out later was Himura Seri, didn't confess her undying affections for him. She wanted his help with class-duties. He had, after all, skipped out on his duties for the past few days. Ogata-sensei had told him that he would assign Hide to help with class-duty soon.

And he'd completely _forgot_.

She was also very nice.

"Thank you for helping me with this work."

Always one, eager to please, "Eh?! It was no trouble - besides I had to do it!"

It was just the two of them alone in a classroom. The silence was amiable as she shuffled the papers and closed the class-book.

"Uhm…" He began, "Would you like to be dropped home…er…as friends of course!"

That didn't sound right. He felt the heat rise up to his cheeks. She raised an elegant eyebrow.

"How about concerned class-mates! It's not safe to be out there alone – uhm _you know_ there have been attacks on the news…and such…"

Himura began to laugh. Chivalry was dying, and so was Hide's confidence. He began to laugh awkwardly, sputtering as he did so.

"Thank you, Nagachika-san! That's very kind of you," She said, with an undecipherable look, "That would be very helpful – as I feel…very _unsafe_ walking home these days."

Nodding his head, Hide picked up his bag and skipped over to the class-room door. He held it open for her.

"After you my lady!"

She burst into laughter.

He never admitted it out loud. But even though their conversations had spaces and awkward bumping of hands – followed by 'sorry!'

Hide sort of liked it.

It felt very _romantic_.

She was leading the way, because he didn't know her area very well. Night was settling in, the cold was biting his exposed skin mercilessly – it was December.

"Nagachika-san is so funny!"

They were passing a few darkened shops, buildings in construction and then they turned a corner.

"Ehhee…you think so?"

There was a light skip in her step. Her face was lit up by the street lamp.

"But I also think you are very kind too." She sent him a dazzling smile over her shoulder. Stricken, Hide felt his guts spill out through his mouth.

"N-no, Himura-san, _you_ are very kind for saying that – you should talk to K-kaneki about me! I'm sure he'd have some _horrible_ t-things to say about me."

He didn't know how to take a compliment.

He kept blabbing about Kaneki till he finally felt confident with his words. It was comfortable talking about Kaneki. They had turned through a new unfamiliar area, and then finally into another dark alley-way. He had never been here before – everything was _eerie_ and still.

"And then Bakaneki went like –"

He paused as his foot hit something. There was a metallic tang in the air.

"Hmm?" She turned around – a strangely _hungry_ look in her eyes, "Go on Nagachika-san and finish the story."

The single lonely streetlamp was flickering on and off. She took a few steps between them, crossing the distance. And then she was fingering the upper button of his collar and then pushed him up against the wall of a building.

Girls smelled nice.

Hide numbly registered the heavy perfume drenched her school uniform. It covered things like the bloodstain on her white school blouse – hidden by her collar. Or perhaps even the mutilated, headless corpse that was just inches away from his white sneaker.

"Hide," she fluidly turned his cheek toward her face with her free hand, "Thank you for walking me home."

One second she was staring into his eyes, brown, almond colored eyes. The stench from the fresh corpse filled his nostrils – he wanted to retch.

"I'm sure your friend would also think that you are _very_ kind…" she began slowly.

The next second, the light shuttered and her eyes were replaced with a black sclera and a red pupil.

"…and very _naïve._ "

His heart was beating at a hundred miles per hour. It was pounding in his ears, he shrunk back as she nearly _sunk_ her jaws into his body. Her white _dazzling_ teeth met his sensitive throat.

His senses were telling him to _push_ her off when –

"Himura."

His eyes were still clenched. Her teeth were on his exposed skin, but not breaking through it.

"How many times have I told you – these are _my_ feeding grounds."

"Rize, you bitch–" She began, only to be muffled by something sharp, _red_ and pointy – ripping her apart from Hide and into the brick wall opposite him. She landed into the dumpster, and the entire thing fell with her – black garbage bags falling alongside.

He stood rigidly still as the _girl_ 'Rize' hopped down. There were sharp red _things_ splayed out from her back.

"Would you like me to _wash_ out your mouth for you, Himura?" Thirteen year old Kamishiro Rize began with an air of nonchalance, "That's no way to _talk_ to someone better than you."

Hide's legs felt like jello.

The girl hissed, before looking at Hide, "He's _my_ prey."

Rize flickered her eyes over to him, she licked her fingers – her _bloody_ fingers. There was a stain around her mouth. She smirked.

"Well…now he's _mine_."

His first reaction was to run, not before he was _pinned to the goddamn wall –_ with those red branches exploding from her back. They pinned him against the wall, digging into flesh _._ He opened his mouth to scream, kicking around violently. Neither girl seemed to notice his writhing.

"B-y-e," she spelled out the words, "He's _mine_."

But her _weapon_ was digging into his shoulder, excruciating pain making him scream.

There was no e-s-c-a-p-e.

And that was _enough_ to stake a claim on his person. Himura got up shakily, taking a few steps backwards and screamed curses as she fled. That's when Rize turned her attention to him.

He froze.

"They say that ghoul women have the gaze of Medusa." She licked her lips, "Are you so scared that you've been turned to stone? Hmmm? Tongue-tied?"

The light shone upon her features, her shimmery skin. Her _hair_ looked venomously purple underneath the flickering street lamp. Everything hurt, there was just so much blood blood blood –

"You…look b-beautiful…" He choked out – the uncharacteristic confession set on his shuddering lips. Rize's features twitched with surprise.

Kaneki was right, he needed to read more of those incomprehensible books and get smarter.

He could have at least screamed.

Maybe someone would poke their heads out of their balconies or maybe someone would come to his aid? No one would just stand and stareright?

"Hmm?" She cocked an ear in his direction.

Maybe someone would come and whack this monster over the head. Maybe someone would hear his _very_ high-pitched scream. Maybe someone would _save_ him – oh _god_.

But he still couldn't bring himself to even whimper for _help_. Tears rolling down the his face he cried out instead –

"I-I'm sorry but you are very…b-beautiful!"

She brought him closer to her face and he swallowed nervously.

"Really?" She asked him, dropping her voice to a low, malicious whisper, "Do you really think so? Even when I'm about to _eat_ you? Tear your limbs apart? Relish your flesh?"

It wasn't any sort of nice grin. It was malicious.

"Well, aren't you _lucky_ that I feel full?"

Her hold ripped itself from his shoulder, violently – making him scream once again. His knees met the ground.

Then she too dropped to her haunches as she began to tear the corpse out by the ankles – and then the stub of its calf. Specks of blood hit his face. The snaps and cracks filled his ears.

"Ja – ne!"

And that was his last encounter personally with Rize Kamishiro. She hopped atop the building, barely sparing him a backwards glance and disappeared back to wherever she came from.

He threw up. And then screamed - and _screamed_ himself raw.

And that's when people who had heard the commotion began to arrive. He could barely decipher the cacophony of voices. There were sounds all around him that cold wintery evening. The flash of red and blue as someone raised him onto a stretcher. The world was spinning.

He was shivering.

"Stay with us boy!"

"Another ghoul attack!" There was some screaming, _lots_ of disembodied screaming.

The world went dim then he sunk into exhaustion's grip. There was only one word ringing over and over in his head.

 _Ghoul ghoul ghoul ghoul..._


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing.**

Thanks for all your kind words!

So still no proper summary – but just consider it a Hide-centric story and how he begins to work behind the scenes? It's not canon-compliant in the sense that Hide takes on a more active role as a MC but how he interacts with this strange new ghoul world. And he'll need some bloody good luck if he gets into any sticky situations haa.

* * *

Hospitals weren't really _all_ that bad, frankly put.

There might have been the discomfort of being hooked up to several different machines – but on the bright side, he didn't have to go to school. Kaneki visited him every evening. Hide got visits from his cousins, his aunts who fussed around him and brought sweets and cake. Cake was _always_ good.

His cousins were much nicer than he'd remembered. His mother also yelled at him a lot less. She did however, force him to eat his vegetables. Hospital food kind of sucked.

He also got a visit from the police department.

And then another one from a _very_ well-built man in his early thirties, who was wearing a white coat. He carried an equally white steel case that looked _very_ heavy. At first glance, the man looked intimidating.

"Ano…Nagachika-kun, may I come in?"

Putting away his homework, that Kaneki had gotten him, Hide nodded nervously.

There was a bit of a weird jamb to the door frame – before Hide could warn the older man, he walked in – _stumbled_ in and his heavy boot jabbed against the corner. Hide watched with fascinated amusement as he yelped.

And then his case went flying against the wall. It crashed with a slight crack.

It _must_ have been very heavy.

He fumbled as he got to his feet, mumbling to himself and smoothing back his minimal hair on his forehead and then grinned at Hide. There was a bit of fussing around as the older man reached for his case.

"Hello! I'm First Class Ghoul Investigator Shinohara at the CCG? You know those _ghoul-hunters_!" He added with a mischievous glint. Hide's jaw dropped.

He did know those ghoul-hunters. And they were _very_ very cool – they often appeared on television talking about _this_ and _that_ about _ghouls_.

"Please have a seat, Investigator-san!"

Picking up his case, the older man nodded appreciatively and scraped the chair closer to Hide's bed.

"How are you doing today, Nagachika-kun?"

"Better," Hide nodded, "Thank you sir. Um...what does your rank mean if you don't mind me asking?"

Investigator Shinohara had a humble smile, "I'm a senior investigator. Third highest there is."

Hide stiffened. The man let out a laugh.

"T-that is so cool!" He said breathlessly, "I'm _very_ honored to be in your presence, sir." He sat up and straightened his back. The wires around him jiggled restlessly.

"Now now, I'm just a nice old man with a few accomplishments on my achy back! But let's cut the formalities Nagachika-kun. I have a few questions to ask you, if you don't mind." The investigator began, he pulled out his phone and tapped a few buttons.

"No sir."

It was a few general questions. He noted the names of the two ghouls down.

"Normally, ghouls go by pseudonames – I'm surprised they even revealed their faces to you. Must have been children. Can you describe them?"

Hide fidgeted as he answered the question. Amusement flickered across the older man's face, as he described the gaudy colored hair in _great_ detail.

Before he left, he rummaged through his pocket to find a card.

"Thank you" The investigator glanced down at the description he had written, "And rest well, Nagachika-kun. You'll need your health."

"No, thank you sir!"

"We'll see what we can do about this. You know…" He paused looking at the boy, a curiosity flickering in his eyes, "Not many people get to survive a single ghoul attack. Not including two. I wonder what makes you so lucky, Nagachika-kun."

Hide blinked as he held out the card to him.

"Consider calling me if you have any more information," He _winked_ at Hide, "Or perhaps questions about joining our ranks, one day?"

* * *

When he returned back to school, people seemed to _notice_ him a lot more.

Especially the girls of the class-room. They were Seri's friends.

His classmates were questioned upon the whereabouts of Himura Seri on the charge of assault. The news reports wafted in another sensational story of a _ghoul_ attack starring him. For a brief period, Hide felt like a celebrity. The students however, were strictly banned from asking him _any_ questions for damage control.

Their parents had stormed the principal's office and Hide was called to the faculty room a _lot_.

"How do you feel Nagachika-kun?" They would ask him, fussing around with him and hounding him with catching up on homework whenever they could.

Mizuki Ami, one of Seri's friends walked up to him and Kaneki after-school, nearly a week after he'd gotten back.

"Hey." She said stiffly, her hands curled into fists, "I have to tell you something."

Kaneki looked from the two of them, "Should I leave?"

She didn't give Kaneki any indication of noticing his presence. She was looking directly at Hide. The girl's eyes flickered with emotion. It was wet, and there were circles underneath her eyes. If anything, the middle-school had been thoroughly shaken up about the presence of a _ghoul_ in their midst.

"Seri wasn't supposed to be doing class-duty that day. I was."

Hide widened his eyes. Kaneki froze.

The girl's expression morphed into nothing but twisted, pure _guilt_.

"She asked if she could take it over for me when I told her that I would have to ask you. She told me that she wanted to get closer to you because she had a _crush_ on you."

* * *

"Why are you so jumpy?" Kaneki asked him. Hide blinked, he was wringing the shoulder of his knap-sack, "You've been looking over your shoulder a lot."

No he wasn't. Kaneki was just delusional.

"W-what do you mean?"

His bookworm of a best friend didn't respond for the next few minutes, until Hide felt something tap his shoulder. A person under much calmer circumstances would have looked over their shoulder.

Hide didn't. He screamed, like a banshee.

"Eayaaaaaaaaaaah!" His bag hit someone smack on the shoulder.

He then cracked open an eye to find a _very_ bewildered elderly woman, frozen still. Her bewilderment changed to rage and he blanched.

"What _on_ earth!?"

And after some scolding, most of which Hide spent bowing in apology. They finally made their way away from the fuming lady. And Kaneki didn't even have to _say_ anything.

"I don't know…okay? I really don't, man. I just had watched this really scary television show last night and it was so scary that I think little sadakos are behind me, grabbing my shoulder."

Kaneki blinked before laughing, "Pfft! You are so _weird,_ Hide!"

The conversation steered over to potential movie plans and then somewhere else. Either way it didn't matter, as long as Hide didn't talk about it – it didn't matter.

It was over. Done. Kapoot.

"Hey Hide," Kaneki called out to them, as they were about to part ways, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Hide paused in his step. He didn't look back.

"Sure, thanks man."

* * *

The years passed by. It had been a few good, memorable years of their lives. Nearly six years, to be exact. And they were in their first year of university, fresh out of high-school.

He stared at the television screen through the shop window blankly. The images of a very graphic scenes possessed the television screens on display. The news channel was doing a reporting on _yet_ another ghoul attack and they all occurred at Takada building, not far from here.

Eighteen year old Hide yawned widely – maybe he'd text Kaneki later, just to check in with the boy.

After all, the whole 'college boys found dead in their apartment' was too common these days.

"I'm home!" He called out as he nudged open the door.

His mother responded in greeting from the living room. He kicked off his shoes and was about to scamper upstairs to his room.

He stopped before the newspaper on the table next to the shoe-shelf.

"Kaa-san? Are you done with the newspaper?"

"Hmm..?" she called out, "Yeah okay, Hide – you can use it."

Over the years, Hide had also had developed a special interest in ghouls. He wanted to work at CCG, it would have been an interesting job. So the wall of his bedroom was decorated with several newspaper cut-outs. But if you looked closely, there was a pattern of events, one following the other.

He threw himself onto his bed after taking off his jacket and placing his phone on his desk.

He opened the newspaper, glazing past the article about festivals and then looked at the article about the binge-eater.

 _Today has been a rather eventful day for the members of CCG…_

Today, the "binge-eater" had claimed several victims.

He reached for the first drawer, grasping blindly as he scanned through the wordy composition.

 _The binge-eater is commonly describe as a female, aged eighteen. Most sightings of her often contradict themselves as there have been multiple ghouls who have posed as her. This female ghoul never stays in the same area for long – preferring to carry her prey's ankles home…_

He cut through the borders of the article, snipping the ends cleanly, eyes still following the words on the paper.

 _CCG has managed to outline her movements and conclude that she normally feeds on young boys, aged eighteen to twenty. But this is a tentative sample._

The phone on his desk briefly lit up as someone named 'Bakaneki' flashed over it briefly.

 _Hey! You'll never guess who got a date!_

* * *

He had seen the text message really late. Paranoia wrapped itself around his insides, squeezing at his guts. And Hide couldn't shake the _nagging_ feeling at the pit of his stomach that something had gone horribly wrong. It was all just very silly – he had no reason to be this way.

Or perhaps he was being a tad bit overprotective over his best friend.

Groaning, he pulled the blanket over his face – blocking out the light of his phone. Kaneki was a big boy. He could handle himself no matter what happened.

He didn't really get sleep that night – trying to block out restless memories of a purple haired girl and her jaws.

* * *

There was no returned call even the next day. No text-message either.

He was seated on one of the benches within the campus. His books splayed all over the table's surface as he attempted to focus on the words.

"It's rare to see you studying, Nagachika. Most people just assume you're a natural genius."

He glanced up.

"Nishio-senpai! Assumptions are a deadly thing, you know?"

The boy gave him a glinted smile and pushed up his glasses, "Indeed. You might be a little too smart for your own good, Nagachika. What's this? Asian History notes?"

"Ahh…no senpai, you flatter me and yes, I have a test tomorrow."

Hide knew three things about Nishio Nishiki. One, he was practically addicted to coffee.

He adjusted his glasses again and pushed Hide's papers aside, setting down his cup.

Two, he had a girlfriend.

"Well, don't mind me intruding. I'm just waiting for Kimi."

And three, they both liked some of the same things and belonged to the same club – the AV club.

"No not at all." Hide sent the creased papers a brief glance, "Oh yeah, senpai! I still have to return that DVD to you."

"Come by the club-room sometime then. No big deal Nagachika – as long as I get it back by the end of this year."

Hide rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Don't worry senpai – I'll get it back to you soon."

There were a few moments of silence. And then there was an intrusive buzz on the table. Hide's hand reached toward his cell-phone.

"It's mine." Nishio tapped his own cell-phone, glancing at the text message. Hide drew his fingers away, "How are you doing, Nagachika?"

"I'm…doing okay?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"You seem to be a bit jumpy."

"Eheheh…do I seem like that?"

Nishio flickered his cool calculating eyes toward him. Hide kept up his nonchalance even if discomfort crept in past his yellow bomber jacket.

"Take care of yourself, Nagachika." He glanced back down at his cell-phone, "It seems like Kimi's here."

"Ah…see you, senpai!"

He was about to leave, but not before turning around and looking pointedly at his book.

"Just a studying tip. You've been reading the same introductory page for the past ten minutes, Nagachika – remember to manage your time more efficiently, sleep more and drink lots of liquids."

Blinking back at his notes and pages – Hide realized that he was right.

Nishio adjusted his glasses again, "Just some advice from a third year to a freshie."

He had been on the same paragraph – not the same page.

But he had was trying to figure out something that had _nothing_ to do with the paragraph. When Hide opened his mouth to respond, the older boy was already retreating down the staircase.

* * *

Kami University had begun to clear out in the late evening hours. The hallways was empty. Standing in front of the vendoring machine, he got himself a chocolate bar and walked back to his bench, ready to pack up for the night.

 _Tringgg_

That's when his phone buzzed underneath his palm. He swiped the screen, fumbling with his pen and knocking over his notebook. The pens clattered to the ground. There was an unknown number staring back at him.

Nevertheless, he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Nagachika Hide?"

"Yes?"

"You've been marked as Kaneki Ken's emergency contact? Seeing as he has no immediate family on contact?"

He put down the snack and adjusted the phone.

"Yes that's right."

"Well we'd like you to know that Kaneki Ken has been in an accident with a girl he was accompanied with. Around twenty-four hours ago? We had begun the emergency transplant surgery with Kaneki Ken."

He held his breath.

"He's in the safe-zone right now."

And let it out.

"Did the girl survive?" He asked curiously.

There was a pause on the other end.

"No…that's why Kaneki Ken received such an extensive transplant…the donor was declared dead shortly after she was brought in."

 _..claims her victims…ages eighteen to twenty…_

"Can I have her name?" The other end was startled by his change in tone – there was a squawk at his rough voice, "Her _name_."

"K-kamishiro Rize."

 _Binge Eater._

* * *

The Hospital that Kaneki was admitted to, was very sleek, stylish and had comfortable seating.

"How nice of you to stop by," the Nurse who led him through the hospital ward, "Kaneki rarely gets any visitors. We tried to contact his living family during the surgery but…"

"Kaneki has no living immediate family," Hide began, "His mother and father died when he was very young – he was also abandoned by his Aunt's family."

"Ahhh! That's very unfortunate," The nurse suddenly looked sheepish, "I guess the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb?"

Hide gave her a smile.

She led him through the hall-way and stopped as a patient was attempting to get out. His eyes were glazed over and his arms were clinging around an infusion pump. Taking his hand, she attempted to lead him back to his room.

"Sendai-san! You should not be up and about." The nurse began.

She turned to Hide, "I'm sorry – but you should be able to find him down this hallway, take your right and then another left. Ah Sendai-san! Please don't be stubborn about this!"

Hide nodded as he stepped past the two.

"Thank you!" He called out.

Down the hallway, right then left. Easy enough.

He knocked tentatively on the door, poking his head into the room. Hide wasn't really greeted by a Kaneki per-say. He hooked to several machines, his eyes closed and sleeping. Dropping the bag of books he brought onto the table, Hide pulled the chair toward the bed.

"Ahhh you lucky bastard – you get to miss class! Today we had this stupid test and I think I failed it."

Chuckling to himself, he was greeted with the sound of beeping machines.

"I brought you some of your favorite incomprehensible books so you can go re-read them all over again."

Kaneki's finger twitched ever so slightly.

"You are also missing this drinking party I was invited to!"

The silence was ringing in his ears. Hide didn't speak anymore but opted to lean back, watching the boy's face. He was paler, no doubt lacking blood. According to the nurse, Kaneki had just woken up a few hours ago, and then fell asleep again. He was _drifting_ in and out of consciousness.

As Hide mulled over the prior conversation. There was a slight rustle of blankets.

He looked up, Kaneki's head rolled over to the side – toward him.

His eye-lids were lazy as the slid open.

"Kaneki?"

Then he caught sight of the black sclera in which the red pupil danced. Hide froze as the eye turned up to look at him. There was a scream caught at the bottom of this throat.

He could smell blood.

Kaneki closed his eyes and continued sleeping. Taking a shaky step backwards, Hide chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Maaa…Kaneki! I have to go then! You take care of yourself."

And then another step – then he twisted his body around as he ran a sweaty palm through his hair. Left, right – down the hallway, elevators.

He nearly bumped into that nurse.

"Whoa – you look like you've seen a ghost!" She began cheerily, "Be careful, sir!"

Hide nodded shakily.

"And don't get lost," she pointed him in the _right_ direction of the elevators.

"T-thank you!"

Stumbling over to the elevators, he gained some odd looks from some of the staff. He was standing in front of the elevators and pushed the down button multiple times.

"G-get a hold of y-yourself, you _coward_." He chuckled to himself nervously, "It's _Kaneki_. Stupid _kaneki_. Calm _down_."

His fist met the wall, startling a passing by nurse. Hide closed his eyes, counted from one to ten.

"It's just Kaneki – no matter how many stupid ghoul transplants they did." He continued whispering to himself, "He's _first_ and foremost Kaneki."

The elevator opened. He stared at its empty contents. And then clenching his fists and setting his face, Hide walked back into the hospital ward whilst chanting to himself under his breath.

"He's _not_ one of them."


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing.**

A/N: Thanks to everyone reading/favorites/follows and general interest! And also reviews, while I don't demand, its very comforting to know that someone human approves/disapproves/abhors/adores my fanfiction.

So Hide didn't actually confront Kaneki about being a ghoul. It would be too blatant and damaging on the boy's psyche. Just throwing that out there, in case anyone was expecting something like that.

Rated for blood/vivid graphic imagery and general discomfort.

* * *

It was a rare occasion when you met old class-mates.

One of those classmates was Sugita Kido. A short, freckle-faced kid who was really memorable for his corny one-liners. He'd been with them through middle-school and then high-school. But after their first year, Hide and Kaneki had gradually lost contact of the boy.

Usually, Hide just passed by some of these encounters and avoided eye-contact. But when a certain commuter had the _same_ t-shirt a.k.a. the super rare edition t-shirt of Jimi Hendrix merchandise that he had been trying to get – he had to point it out.

"Ahhh! I know that t-shirt!"

They looked at each other.

"And I remember you!" They both chorused, drawing attention from nearby train-passengers.

There was an awkward pause.

"Do you remember my name or are you just being very nice, Nagachika?" The boy sent him a teasing smile.

"You remembered my name!" Hide told him, scratching the back of his head, "Unfortunately I don't think I'm as popular as um…'One-liner Sugita'!"

He winced, hoping he was right. For all he knew, the boy could have been the resident nose-picker.

The boy blinked before laughing. "One-liner Sugita! That nickname brings back a lot of memories!"

And the two boys chattered on about their current lives, the academic careers and potential future plans.

"Hey do you remember Ogata-sensei?" Sugita leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin on his face, "So the other day – I found out that he is now a super popular Ghoul-enthusiast!"

"Ghoul-enthusiast?" Hide asked him, he raised a brow in incredulity, "You mean those crazy people who like to make ghoul conspiracy theories? Are we talking about the same person?"

Sugita snickered as well.

"He's got this blog page – you can find him easily by just searching up his website name 'The One-eyed king'! I very much recommend reading it for laughs."

Eventually, Sugita had to get off before Hide but not before sharing his phone-number.

"Hey Nagachika – did you hear about that guy who lost his left eyeball?" He waggled a brow, biting his lip as if he was ready to spill with laughter.

"Um…?" Hide's insides curled at the joke.

"He's all right now!" Sugita slapped his knee. Hide blinked for a few seconds before letting out a low chuckle, "That's a good one, Sugita."

"Thanks! Later then, Nagachika!" The crowd began to exit and Sugita picked up his bag, sending him a grin. Hide smiled back.

"Yeah, take care!"

The train doors closed. Hide tapped the save button on his phone. He briefly wondered if he'd ever see 'One-liner Sugita' again.

Probably not in times like these.

* * *

An hour and a half in, Hide was _hooked_ onto the blog's content.

The One Eyed King had series of posts, everything ranging from general ghoul absurdities to conspiracy theories. There were comments on the blog, discussions around the existences of ghouls and _ghoul_ attacks. People loved this stuff!

But to Hide, perhaps it was the "About" section of the blog that had him thinking.

"One thing is for sure, dear readers – the CCG hides information from the general public. Why? Because should the public be able to utilize the _tools_ that CCG is given, the organization will become futile. People will be able to take justice in their own hands. I have created this blog to help you, to teach you and to equip you against the dangers of what's out there…"

And then there was an anecdote.

"When I was a middle school teacher, I taught a ghoul. I didn't know she was a ghoul, I didn't even expect her to attack one of my students. I never expected to see the hollow, misery that reverberated throughout the corridors in the wake of her destruction. I _never_ expected to see such pain in such young budding children. It made me think of the ways that ghouls deceive, blend into human society."

He always liked Ogata-sensei's history classes. He was a very inspirational teacher. But perhaps Hide felt _touched_ at being the sheer catalyst, the reason for the website.

And thousands of people read this story.

He found himself almost agreeing with the sentiment – hunt all ghouls, kill all ghouls. And then –

" _CKr1234 says: I'm vry sorry u had to go thru that horrible experience, TOEK – but as someone who has lost a sister to this attack, i found myself feeling sorry for these individuals. After all, imagine having to eat someone's sister, mother, father or brother, or a lover. Many of them try to blend with humans and their activities just so they can live honestly, and pay the bills. They don't ask to be born this way and it's a horrible guilt."_

CKr1234 was upvoted about 599 times and then down-voted 1023 times.

But beneath in the comments, Hide began to find streams of anger, paranoia and disbelief.

" _Sorry? Why would you feel sorry for these monsters?"_

Occasionally between vitriol against the original poster himself and a mixture of both – there was a smatter of sympathy.

" _I think CKr1234 is right, these ghouls don't ask to be born this way. I think people should try and find ways to actively help them."_

And then finally –

" _Maybe if they didn't treat us like meat, we wouldn't treat them as animals to be killed."_

The comment thread ended there. As the lecture ended, CKr1234's comment got the 600th upvote.

* * *

"Nagachika."

Hide glanced away from the coffee section of the store to find Nishio-senpai giving him a sort of odd look.

"Oh Nishio-senpai! Nice meeting you here! Are you shopping for groceries?"

"Something like that," the older boy said, he glanced at the coffee section, "Mind if you move over for a bit – I need coffee."

"Ah." Hide picked up his basket, "Sorry."

He stepped back. The older boy traced the prices and the coffee on sale. He frowned and muttered to himself.

"They raised the damn price again."

"What's your favourite brand of coffee ice-cream, Nishio-senpai?" Hide asked him, suddenly.

He glanced back at Hide with a frown.

"Come again?"

"Coffee ice-cream, you know, since you have a lot of coffee."

"That makes no sense, Nagachika."

"Haha…" Hide snickered lightly, "Why not senpai?"

"Because I like my coffee black–" Nishio began but paused, "But I greatly enjoy Haagen-Daz coffee ice-cream. It's great."

Hide nodded.

"Later then, Nagachika – please don't forget to return that DVD to me," He pushed up his glasses and walked away, coffee-beans in tow. Hide looked down at his basket and took out the same container that the older boy had just taken before calling out to him.

"Ahh! Senpai! Hang on for a bit – let's go out for coffee or something."

The boy halted. It was so abrupt, Hide almost crashed into the cart.

"Is there something you want from me Nagachika?"

"Just company and good coffee," Hide offered with a grin, "If you aren't busy or something, y'know? With the rest of the club, I know this great café nearby, it's called Anteiku…"

Nishio's face darkened.

"…or somewhere else I guess," He scratched the back of his head, "I just think we should do more outings. Just a suggestion from a club-member to the president."

The older boy looked at him silently for a few moments, "We'll think about it Nagachika."

"Right," Hide nodded, "See you around, senpai!"

* * *

"Maa, you didn't eat again – did you, Kaneki?"

The boy looked up at him as he entered, "Hide – you don't _have_ to come in everyday!"

"I brought you some notes." Hide shrugged, "You'll be missing four classes and a test, not bad, eh?"

He dropped the grocery bag onto the stand beside the bed. The mini Haagen Daz coffee-icecream spilled out. Kaneki's eyes widened with excitement as he made to grab for one of them.

"Thanks man!"

Hide nodded, watching him pull out the ice-cream and crack out the spoon from the cover.

"I got it on sale at the local store."

Kaneki brought a rather large spoonful to his mouth. Then was a moment before he registered the taste. His expression twisted from bliss to horror.

Hide handed him the vomit tray, wordlessly.

"Ahhh!" There were more sounds of retching. He pushed the nurse button. The mild yet unnerving ding from the pager filled the hospital room.

"Its fine," Hide averted his eyes, "Must have been spoiled – sorry about that. Didn't check the date."

"I-it tastes _sour -_ like bile after you can't swallow down milk."

"Sorry," Hide flung the now opened ice-cream in the direction of the bin, "Well at least now we know that Haagen-Daz is horrible, eh?"

Kaneki wiped his mouth and placed the vomit bin on the table, shakily.

"That's not funny Hide – at least check the date of expiry before buying them!"

* * *

"So ghouls only like their coffee black, huh?" Hide asked as he leaned back against his bike. He emptied the last of his ice-cream cup and threw it over his shoulder. It swirled around the edges of the bin before landing inside.

Bulls-eye.

"Good to know."

* * *

Two weeks had passed by. Kaneki was taking half as much time to heal as a normal human condition. The only problem was, he wasn't eating properly – either throwing up is food or forcing it down without chewing properly. What happened to be a four-week discharge ended up being a two week discharge.

Hide had been marking off his progress.

Besides Kaneki, Hide had also picked up a new hobby – profiling the local ghouls.

Nishio Nishiki made the list.

"Hide, you've been acting weird – are you hiding something?" The capped boy flinch and stop writing in the corner of his book margin.

Hide pretended to be taking more diligent notes during the lecture.

"Hmm…" Kaneki gave him a side-look before turning the page of his book, "Whatever, I'm sure I'll find out _soon_ enough. And I know you aren't even paying attention to the lecture by the way."

Kaneki smelled bad.

There was a mix of perfume, vomit and paranoia underneath his hooded appearance. Pushing Kaneki's hood down head playfully, he grinned at the yelp it elicited.

"I don't want to hear it from someone who looks like something out of a horror manga – Kaneki. What's with that eyepatch! Prowling around the neighbours, ready to claim your children –"

At the visible flinch that Kaneki gave him, Hide felt awful. He sighed and scratched the back of his head remorsefully.

"Ah…sorry, bad joke." He muttered, "It's just that with all the news lately, it's a very bad joke, y'know?" He added.

Kaneki and Rize had been registered as accident victims – construction sites in particular were very unstable. Unfortunately for Kaneki, they couldn't sue the construction site as he had genuinely ignored any form of warning. What did make the papers was Akihiro Kanou, Kaneki's doctor who decided to transplant Rize's organs without any form of consent from her family.

But perhaps that's not the bit that was unnerving.

Although, according to the police – none of them could figure out how a very secure steal-beam was let loose upon two unsuspecting, silly, 'love-struck' adolescents.

But Rize's mysterious demise was the least of Hide's problems.

"By the way, I was going to treat you to Big Girl's burgers but I'm _completely_ broke, ya know."

Kaneki needed to eat.

"Shut up." Kaneki muttered, "You are acting _weird,_ Hide."

* * *

December 12, 10:58 PM:

 _User1282 says: What is a ghoul's weakness point that you could potentially exploit? Mucus membranes, like ears, nose, eyes, lips - I think._

* * *

"Nagachika, do you not understand the concept of knocking." The older boy pushed his glasses up his head irritably. He swiped the DVD from his hands and pulled out his phone.

"Ahhh sorry senpai, I didn't realize that you often left private hobbies to club-rooms."

"There has been _no_ one coming to the club for the past two weeks, not the point, Nagachika." The older boy furiously typed something on his phone – probably an apology to his girlfriend.

"Did you see anything? Pink bra-straps? Nipples?"

They had just been walked in on by a very embarrassed Kaneki and a sheepish Hide.

"We didn't look." Hide assured him. Kaneki spluttered out an apology - gathering Nishiki's attention.

"Anyways, who's this?" His eyes flickered to Kaneki. Hide didn't miss the glint in his eye. Something was wrong.

"Senpai...this is my friend, Kaneki Ken."

"Hello…" Kaneki smiled.

"Ahh," He stretched a hand out to Kaneki who took it carefully, "Nishio Nishiki. I assume you are a freshie too? Maybe I've seen you around?"

"Yes, Asian History and Literature major. Pleasure to meet you," Kaneki avoided his eyes, "Maybe we have met before."

His teeth shone as his lips spread, "Don't forget to ask me for _anything_ you need."

"We'll get going now." Hide said, clearing his throat lightly. Kaneki gave the older boy an uncomfortable nod, "See you around senpai!"

"Why don't I join you on your walk home? We don't live very far from each other Nagachika. I was just clearing up anyways. Actually –" he interrupted himself as he picked up an empty coffee mug. He twisted on the tap at the nearby sink. "Why don't you come over, I have a new limited edition DVD from Badshield United to show you."

"Ah…" Hide turned back to Kaneki, "I guess you could go ahead."

Maybe he would just decline on Nishio-senpai, bail out on him, tell the boy that he had some homework - anything. Kaneki stiffened and then he shook his head.

"I'll come over as well, if it's not too much trouble, senpai."

What the hell? Hide shot Kaneki a side-eye.

Nishiki placed the cup upside down against the counter, gently.

"Of course not."

* * *

Ten minutes in, Nishio senpai bought the two of them Taiyaki from a street-side vendor. Nothing was amiss.

Fifteen minutes in, Hide did not recognize the neighbourhood. That should have been the warning sign, he _should_ have stopped. But he spent _way_ too much time debating whether he should or shouldn't.

Seventeen minutes and forty-five seconds in, Nishio Nishiki halted his pace.

"Ah…I think we may be lost."

And then Hide felt the force of a knee to his stomach, and then the rush of the air through his ears as he flew over the site.

* * *

And then he felt the chunks of food, bile and fall over his jacket and onto his hands. Disgusted, shivering yet eyes shut – Hide heard footsteps away from him, and then frenzied cries from Kaneki.

"Awww…Kaneki, I dirtied your little snack.

He snapped open his eyes as a jolt of pain ran through his body.

"Dammit Hide, do something – Kaneki's in trouble."

He _almost_ decided to do something about it until he heard an _inhuman_ scream. It clenched up his insides. It sounded _nothing_ like Kaneki.

" _Don't hurt him_!"

He froze. The red branches – no the _kagune –_ protruded from the boy's back and rammed through Nishiki's belly. The screams intensified as Hide remained mute.

"Let go of me you fucking idiot! I'm going to die die die die die!" He didn't know what happened next, but the Kagune shot out and flung a now _injured_ Nishiki away from them.

But it didn't stop there.

All he could see was Rize in Kaneki's eyes. All he could see was Rize in Kaneki's smile. All he could see was the same person as he ripped the boy apart, flinging him away from Hide.

And then Kaneki turned his eyes on Hide. Black sclera, red pupil met his own momentarily. He wasn't there – Kaneki wasn't there. He was _one_ of them. Beautiful red branches splayed haphazardly. But they lacked the same grace that Rize possessed with her Kagune.

 _Do you still think I'm beautiful even when I'm about to_ eat _you?_

The ends of his mouth were dripping with spittle as he took steps toward Hide.

"Hide. Hamburger. Hide. Hamburger. Hide." He repeated the asinine combination over and over, " _Itadakimasu."_

Gripping onto a stray metal pipe that lay inches away from his fingers, Hide glanced at Kaneki – how would he…

With great difficulty, Hide got up – pain wracked his body. His feet shuddered as they met solid ground.

Kaneki looked momentarily confused then very annoyed.

"Stay down!" It hissed, lunging forward for Hide as he aimed for the boy's mouth. Hide raised the metal pipe. The small pipe met Kaneki between the teeth, who then bit down on it – shattering the metal like glass.

Hide felt hands wring his throat, next.

"Kaneki!" He screamed, "Kaneki! It's me!" The boy didn't listen as Hide thrashed around. He felt like his thirteen year old self again, as Kaneki's jaws widened – and then he thought of that website. And that comment - what could he exploit?

Think Hide, Think.

Eyes.

Black and red, one of them was – a _kakugan_. The other one was human and staring wildly at him, like he was food. Just like the way _she_ stared at him.

Before he could stop himself, Hide reached forward and jabbed Kaneki in his left eye with his left index finger.

There was a sickening squelch.

There was a scream before his back met the wall again with a violent smack. Spitting out blood, Hide felt his body buckle. His vision was getting dimmer. Then there was a shuffle of steps, the sound of scuffling and the arrival of someone new.

They stepped in front of him, almost blocking is vision of a very frenzied Kaneki.

Kaneki grabbed his eye in pain as the right eye was trained on the newcomer.

"So you finally cracked, huh, punk?" The world was fuzzy.

Cold, wet trickles of blood dripped down the side of his cheek as Hide's vision was drowned out.


	4. Chapter 4

**I own nothing.**

'Miss Sen' felt cheerful. She was in such a cheerful mood that she wanted to buy food for her poor harassed 'chaperon' Shiono-san. By some stroke of luck – she passed by a taiyaki place.

"Miss Sen, you really don't have to this. You need to work on your draft!"

"It's my treat! Do you eat your taiyaki by the head or the tail?" She flounced and skipped and giggled. They attracted quite a bit of attention.

"The tail…" Her embarrassed chaperon said.

"That sounds just like you!" She gushed.

 _What a peaceful yet boring day_. She thought, as they waited in line.

That's when she caught sight of a boy who smelled like Rize, turning round the corner, she watched – with a raised eyebrow. She watched the three (college?) boys. Two ghoul. One human.

Not that either, the ghoul or the human, were important.

The boy smelled like Rize was, though.

But Rize was dead.

Or _was_ she?

"Miss Sen? Where are you going?"

"Ahh…" She paused, turning around. "I just found out that I have some place to visit."

He made to follow her.

"Alone." She smiled. Sharp and pointy.

* * *

"Kaneki! Kaneki! It's me!"

 _Reasoning_ with a ghoul and not even trying to run, crawl or scream. What a strange boy. She watched as a metal bar was thrust between the ghoul-baby's teeth. Freshly hatched.

And then the boy reached forward – to jab the ghoul's right eye with his index-finger.

 _Like the great monstrous, evil centipede who was struck down by an arrow, which was covered in the hero's spittle, to the eye and up through the brain_ –

And the ghoul-boy screamed and thrashed.

And then the poor, daring, human boy was thrown back against the wall. He buckled. Miss Sen watched with horrified glee as the ghoul child screamed, clutching his eye. She shuddered.

"Oh…how drama _tic_. What a spectacular end. Encore."

Poor trusting human boy, to be betrayed by your dark, depraved ghoul friend, the misery, the agony, the utter tragedy. E _t tu. Brute? Will he_ too _drive a dagger through his chest?_

Then the Anteiku girl had to ruin it.

Oh.

"So you finally cracked, huh, punk?" The girl taunted.

The Anteiku girl stood between the fallen human boy and Rize– no _that_ boy who had Rize _in_ him. The girl moved then – speedily, knee to the gut.

"Ukaku ghoul?" Miss Sen whispered to herself.

The ghoul was flung like a rag-doll to the wall. Miss Sen watched with raptured attention as he tried to get up. Miss Sen admired his tenacity. She shifted her attention to the girl.

" _Too bad it isn't Kamishiro or that Anteiku brat would have been annihilated."_ She thought.

It didn't matter, the boy was weak – his kagune was _drooping_ , his blows were had the precision of sludge and overall – she averted her eyes – he'd lose.

Poor fuckin' loser. She was such a sucker for despair that even plots about despair turned into a cliché.

The ghoul baby was knocked out.

The Anteiku girl heaved the boy over her shoulder. She gave the human a cursory glance. The girl then, shifted Kaneki's weight and turned her back. She shifted her cool eyes in Miss Sen's general direction. Not that she could see her.

But she _knew_ that a ghoul was there. Ghouls had a sharp sense of smell.

 _Anteiku's kindness will really be their downfall, truly._ Miss Sen thought mildly.

She smiled and hopped down from the rafters of the construction site.

"Good day!" She told the unconscious boy. "How do you do?"

She picked up a stray metal pipe from the ground and poked the boy idly. Then she threw it and ran her fingers over the sticky blood that was trickling from the side of his head.

"Poor thing, she really did leave you out here to die. She probably thought you would die. Too bad Anteiku have this policy of _not_ eating humans whilst they are still alive…you know?"

She reached forward. She lifted him up over her shoulder and _heaved him_. Her phone rang then. With her other hand – she picked it up.

"Oh Shiono-san!"

" _Miss Sen? I was just checking up on you. It's not good for you to be out alo–"_

"Why you have to be such a boring person? I'll be home soon." She shifted the weight on her shoulder. "I just got a lil' something, that's all – oh Shiono-san!"

" _Yes…?_ "

"I got a new idea!"

" _Mrs. Sen, I'm hope that this doesn't hinder your draft._ "

"It's the ingredients in the making for a grand, epic, _tragedy_ – take one boy who loves unconditionally, take a friend who's slipping into darkness. The terror, the awe, the wonder, the pain, the longing, the rise and the fall. The audience adores their theatrics – no one would go that far for a friend. It's all drama."

" _I'm afraid I don't get you…_ "

"This is a side-story of a side-character who is nothing but a special _ingredient_ for the main-course."

The boy's limp hands swayed as she danced.

* * *

When he woke up, the first thing he saw were blurred specks. The lazy dust specks were floating around in silvery, soft light.

Hide felt his head, then his ribs and then his bruised mouth. The softer, sinking surface underneath him smelled like leather. A fabric lay on his thighs. He felt the surface of this blanket, disoriented.

Hide counted his options.

He wasn't cuffed.

He wasn't bound by ropes.

He wasn't drugged

His feet weren't tied.

But he was bandaged. Hide felt his bandages again. He twisted his body slowly. Every achy limb of his body screamed in protest as if it was picketing.

And he let out a stream of expletives –

"OOW! Ow ow..."

Hide looked around, after managing to prop his feet on the floor. The room was small. It was a small apartment. From a cool, white tiles to dark-colored walls, lit up by soft white lights. It seemed to be an apartment for one person in particular and smelled of sandalwood.

There was also an egregious mess of papers, scribbled scraps of paper, balls of paper and more paper taped to the wall. Hide blinked.

The clock ticked a minute.

But it felt like an hour before there was a twitch of a knob. The hinges creaked. His eyes widened.

He hoped to meet his saviour without incident.

A moment passed, then two. And then –

"Awake already?"

"Light sleeper, I suppose." She continued nonchalantly. The girl had green-hair, wild, unruly and as if it hadn't been brushed in several days – or months.

"Hello."

The girl was petite, her large beige sweater nearly dwarfed her general figure. She adjusted her red-framed glasses, pulled out a chair, spun it around and sat on it backwards.

She observed him for a few seconds.

Hide shifted uncomfortably, he attempted to pull himself up, using the cushions to do so.

"Ano…"

"Sen." She began.

"Eh?"

"You may call me Sen. I saved you – by the by. You are also welcome by-the-by. Let's skip the cliché intros and get right to it. You were found half-dead and bleeding."

There was momentary silence. Why was the name 'Sen' so familiar?

"Then why didn't you just call the ambulance." Hide asked.

She sipped her mug of coffee. Her face twisted with delight. He didn't know if it was at the taste of coffee or the question.

"Because that would be a problem, Nagachika-kun."

"How did you–"

"Your I.D., found it beside your family picture." Sen tutted impatiently, "Do you want your friend to get caught?"

Dumbstruck, Hide watched as she calmly continued. He then groped for his pocket wallet, and found beside his bag-pack which was over the coffee-table. He reached for the wallet, pried it open and counted his bearings.

And Sen talked on with more enthusiasm.

"Ka-ne-ki Ken," Her eyes glittered. "He's a ghoul. What do you think the law-enforcement does to ghouls?"

The implications settled in. He prodded forward.

"Where…where is Kaneki?"

"Alive probably." She shrugged, "Probably taken in by one of those ghoul groups. They would refuse to help him because of you. So I moved you from the area so that they could move your friend. The two of you made _quite_ a bit of noise."

"Why?"

"Because the appearance of a human body would be an attack. People would file complaints, it isn't hard to link a ghoul who is wet behind the ears to a crime, didn't you know? Then the doves would be more active. Then they would capture him and put him in these ghoul prisons–eh no–"

She paused.

"He would _die_." She nodded. "Small fries like him would be ripped apart…"

Hide winced.

"So you moved me, the key piece of evidence…"

"Someone had to. Usually it's ghoul-group problem. But Anteiku is quite…placid toward humans." She swung her leg back and forth whilst rocking on the chair.

She watched him.

It unnerved him.

"Ghoul Groups?"

"Did you think ghouls didn't have groups? They have communities – little circles where they bond together over their ideals. For example, I enjoy the ankles of humans –" Hide subconsciously twitched his feet, "–but you enjoy the eye-balls. In that case – you would prefer to fraternize with people who have the same _delicate_ taste in eyeballs. _Connoisseurs_ of eyeballs. We share a common interest."

"But in terms of an ecosystem – that's very counterproductive…" Hide reasoned. "I mean wouldn't y– _we_ be more interested in differences of tastes? It is more efficient when it comes to consumption. You eat the eyeballs, I eat the…ankles…"

He faltered.

She then smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile.

"I was merely using a metaphor of sorts. It just means that some kind ghoulish organization took Kaneki-kun in respect for their ideals."

She bared her teeth and smiled. The smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Ghouls aren't as…co-operative as you think."

Fisting his blanket, he felt drained and dizzy and _very_ tired. His mother would be worried _sick_ about him. Then he realized that he knew what his mother looked like. It was an old, coffee-stained picture, one which his father had taken.

He was the only family she had.

"Miss Sen," Hide began slowly. "Why did you help me? A ghoul wouldn't let me live."

"Interesting." Sen observed blandly. "You _are_ incredibly sharp."

"I've have bitter experiences with ghouls," Hide pointed out. He dragged every syllable. "Three encounters. I'd be stupid not to be able to tell a ghoul from a human by now."

"Was it the smell?" Sen sniffed her sweater, "I haven't done laundry in a while."

That probably explained all the papers, Hide thought.

"No, usually most _normal_ people would assume that ghouls behave like predators, not _connoisseurs_ of fine cuisine."

Silence.

"Ha." She laughed.

"Why did you help me?" Hide asked again.

He clenched the blanket. Perhaps if push came to shove, he could use the blanket to suffocate a ghoul. She would probably tear it apart–

"I'm not going to _eat_ you." She deadpanned. "But I'll make this fast – have deadlines for my novel. I want to recruit your services."

"My services?"

"Be my errand-boy. Buy me coffee. Stuff like that."

He contemplated it for a second. "No."

"Aww." She leaned back in her chair. "Silly me – I didn't expect you to say 'Yes' without reading the terms and conditions."

"What are your terms and conditions?" Hide felt uneasy.

She smiled slow and wide.

"You won't call the police on me, do you know why? Because I'm your _outlet._ Because I will _help_ you with Kaneki – don't you think I can push him in the right direction? Besides if you don't, I can accidentally _slip_ some word about Kaneki's whereabouts."

"Terms and Conditions? Didn't even offer a pen." He scoffed softly.

"Because boy, did you know that his donor pissed off some _very_ important people in _high_ -places?"

The realization settled in.

"People are looking for Rize." He said. "You just said he would be helped by these 'ghoul communities'."

"Helped. Yes. But who do you trust? The boy hasn't grown up to _dream_ darkly – what does he know? Rize could run. He can't. He knows nothing. He'll be flailing around in the dark, moving around with the wrong crowd. No authorities, no support, no help, just the incessant call of _madness_."

Her eyes gleamed. There was silence. She smiled at him. Hide smiled, wide.

"And what's in it for you, Miss Sen?"

She adjusted her glasses.

"The pleasure of entertaining a new _muse_."

* * *

Hide could feel her creepy, conniving eyes on his back as he left her apartment. His slick, bloody jacket and dirtied baseball cap was stuffed into his bag-pack. He pulled out his cellphone and pulled out the front-view camera. The curtain of her apartment window, over his shoulder, shuffled to a close.

He limped.

She wouldn't try anything. He wouldn't try anything. It would all be all hush-hush.

Because they both agreed – for Kaneki.

He flipped off his camera, and moved into contacts. Underneath 'Sen' was another contact. Hide clicked the green phone. It rang on the other end.

But Hide didn't make deals in the dark with sharp, conniving ghouls..

" _Hello, Commission of Counter Ghoul employment services: ward 11, how may I direct your call?_ "

"Eh…Hello, my name is Nagachika Hide. I saw your ad, were you looking for a delivery boy?"

There was shuffling and typing and a rustling of paper.

" _Ahh…sorry Nagachika-san, we managed to get someone for this already._ "

"Oh…ma…it's alright." He said, disappointed.

" _I'm sorry…but we'll definitely let you know if another position comes up?_ "

"Hai!"

" _In the mean-while, would you like to sign up for our newsletter? We normally post advertisements in there._ "

* * *

It was Thursday and it was five days after the attack.

Hide and Kaneki often met near the bike-rack next to the History department. They met there before their lectures. It had sort of become a ritual because Hide biked to university.

But he was surprised to find the latter waiting for him there. The boy had called his mother. His mother had fussed a little, scolded Kaneki and told him that Hide was resting. Hide had been catching up on sleep and studies.

Neither of them texted each other.

There was a nervous shuffling of foot, a single wary, watchful eye into the crowds. He scanned every face. Hide watched as he jumped at the sound of people calling out to each other.

Then Kaneki caught his eye. He looked hesitant. Hide smiled.

Then Hide belted out, startling a near-by gang of girls.

"YOOOOOOOO KAAAAANEKI!"

Startled and very embarrassed, the latter's face flushed.

"Shut up, Hide! You are being so loud!" He hissed. Hide limped forward with the biggest, happiestgrin on his face.

"Doing alright?" He asked with a bigger grin. He locked his bicycle.

"How…are you? I called your mom. Did you go to the…hospital?" Kaneki asked him. "Have you been straining yourself–?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! That car hit us pretty hard, huh? Hit-and-run too."

He saw Kaneki widen his eyes for the briefest of seconds.

"I did go to the hospital, Kaneki. How about you? How are you? Any injuries?"

"No…" The boy murmured and then increased his voice. "I'm okay. We're alive. We're alive!"

Hide chuckled. "Some good luck, huh?"

And just like that, all was well. Hide shared his notes, scolded Kaneki over skipping class and Kaneki told him about his new job.

At a coffee shop called Anteiku.

"Ne," He said. There was a mild stench of puke underneath the smell of freshly laundered spring. "Let's go celebrate with some coffee."

The action startled Kaneki.

"Since when did you like coffee, Hide?"

A look of suspicion flitted over Kaneki's face.

It was a fair question. He had always displayed a vehement distaste for the drink. But then again, Hide was a much better actor than Kaneki.

"Ehhh?" He exclaimed, "You need to get with the times, Kaneki. Adults have coffee. And we are officially _adults_. Besides if we go to Anteiku, I get to see your co-workers!"

The boy flinched.

"Also I've been trying out this coffee at Starlocks –"

"You mean Starbucks?"

"–and I'm so inspired to work at a coffee shop as a barista you know? It would be very interesting?" He continued on. "Maybe you could help me get a job at Anteiku, what do you think?"

Kaneki blinked once then twice.

"Hah?!" He glanced at Hide, mortified. "Maybe you'd be better suited to working at a build-a-bear shop?"

* * *

He was greeted by the cheerful ring of the door-bell, the aroma of coffee and a cheerful waitress.

"Welcome!"

He scanned her name-tag.

"Hello Touka-chan!" He sent the girl a bedazzling smile. "How do you do?"

She nods her head in response with surprise in his directions. She then sent Kaneki a look – as if to say _deal_ with your friend.

"Wait here," Kaneki led him to a free-table, "I'll go get your order."

"But I want _Touka-chan_ to make my coffee!" Hide whined. Kaneki left him with an apologetic look in waitress' direction.

He watched as Kaneki stood over the counter. The waitress whispered, frantic hushed things toward Kaneki – she caught his eye. Kaneki spoke back – reassuring her of something.

And looked away immediately.

He heard the sound of people chattering, squealing, bargaining, whispering, and hissing around him. They blended together.

"…eh? So I haven't heard about that binge-eater in a while..."

"…heard she's dead! Maybe there's actually a god!"

 _Because boy, did you know that his donor pissed off some very important people in high-places?_

Hide averted his eyes to the surface of coffee brown table. There were two conversations going on. One behind him – one in the table in front of him.

"…Ami! These sandwiches are the best!"

"Mhmm! I told you Anteiku has a very _delicate_ taste!"

"…now there's another fucker on the loose …"

"…Very _gourmet-_ like and very _delicate_ …!"

"Gourmet…? That fucker is so disgusting I heard he _cannibalizes_ …"

"Gourmet…? I heard that on the news today! What does it mean?"

"Who knows? Sounded fun to say."

He heard the table behind him erupt into giggles and the girl and her friend launched into another conversation.

The table in front of him, was distracted by the appearance of Touka, who brought them their bill. The men then paid and left. Hide then pulled out a tissue, he rummaged for a pen, pulled the cap out with his teeth and brought the nib toward the tissue.

He was about to write–

"Here I brought you some cappuchino. You'll like it." He said with a hint of a smug smile.

And he set the cup down. Hide dropped the pen. He picked up the cup.

"Thanks man!" He brought it to his lips and made a face, "Kaneki, this is awful!"

His friend sent him a withering glare.

"I even added a stupid neko design on it, Hide! Like the kind you like on your omurice!"

"Eh…I still think Starlocks is better."

"Then why don't you go there, hmmm? Just drink and pay up Hide, it's _not_ on the house. The manager will deduct money from my paycheck thanks to _you_ –"

"Bitter…" He whined.

* * *

When he stepped out of Anteiku later. He got a new text-message from Sen.

 _Homework for you~go sniff for information about the ghoul called 'Gourmet'._

* * *

A/N: I hope I'm not disappointing yet. Oh and I might of lied about this being written out. I scrapped those chapters.


End file.
